Cattāri Brahmavihārā

I noticed something yesterday during my commute that really struck home and reminded me that the practice is not a selfish turning away but can really be motivated by our concern for all beings. So, what did I notice? In short, wave after wave of forlorn, somber and long faces seemed to breaqk around me in the sea of people we call NYC. Perhaps it was because it was a Monday but even today the trains seem filled to capacity with dukkha. It goes without saying that I could simply be misinterpreting what I’m seeing or even projecting but that really doesn’t change a thing: what matters is what I perceive and how I put that perception to work.

Immediately upon realizing that my fellow New Yorkers all seemed to be lost in nightmarish reveries of their own I also became aware of just how this was impacting upon my own mood and outlook. It is as if this fear, fatigue and animosity were gaining in momentum as it bounced off each person and picked up extra energy. I think at that point I must have seen one person smile and the whole thing just dissolved in front of me. I knew then that not only did I not have to buy into the despair and angst but that I could actually mae a difference with something as seemingly insignificant as a smile. And I can only imagine just how much more powerful is a smile when it’s backed up by universal well-wishing.

May we all give the gift of our smiles to those we meet today and embrace them in our well-wishing hearts!